Designed in 1849 by the American engineer James B. Francis, the Francis turbine is the most widely used type of water turbine. The turbine is a successor to the Fourneyron turbine; the water flows radially from the outside, through a mostly spiral-shaped inlet pipe, via a fixed guide wheel with adjustable blades onto the runner. A draft tube acting as a diffusor diverts the water after it has passed through the runner. With the aid of the guide vanes at the inlet, the flow rate and thus the output of the overpressure turbine can be controlled - this requires an enormous amount of design work.

Stellba Hydro is able to realize tailor-made solutions for every location. Our experienced specialists make it possible to maintain existing turbines as far as possible: We replace worn parts and inefficient components and use flow simulations to tap previously unused potential. In this way, we increase the annual output of your Francis turbine in the long term in a cost-effective manner.